Department for Transport

Crossrail Line

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will set out his Departmental responsibilities as a joint sponsor of the Crossrail project.

Andrew Jones: The Department and TfL are the joint sponsors of the Crossrail project. The Crossrail project sponsor role is underpinned by a Sponsors Agreement and the Project Development Agreement. Further details about the Department’s responsibilities as a co-Sponsor of the project are set out in the Department’s recent response to the Public Accounts Committee:https://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/public-accounts/Correspondence/2017-19/Letter-from-Bernadette-Kelly-to-Chair-in-response-to-report-'Crossrail-progress-review'-recommendation-6-190429.pdf

Cross Country Rail Franchise

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport,whether he has (a) agreed and (b) signed off a direct award or extension of the Cross Country rail franchise contract with Arriva; and who bears the pension risk in that contract.

Andrew Jones: The Secretary of State for Transport has not agreed a new Direct Award or signed off an extension of the existing Cross Country Direct Award contract with Arriva.

East Midlands Rail Franchise

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what agreement was reached on the liability for pension risk between the Department for Transport and Stagecoach when it was announced that the company had been awarded a direct award to run the East Midlands Trains franchise on 12 February 2019.

Andrew Jones: The East Midlands Direct Award is for a short period of time and is due to end on 11 August 2019. As in all other Franchise Agreements, the Franchisee (as the Designated Employer) is responsible for paying employer pension contributions required under the schedule of contributions applicable during their franchise term.

West Coast Rail Franchise

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what (a) agreement and (b) provision for pension liability risk was agreed between his Department and Virgin Trains when the extension to the West Coast rail franchise was announced on 21 December 2018.

Andrew Jones: The extension to the West Coast rail franchise was a short extension to an existing contract and was as allowed for in the Franchise Agreement. As in all other Franchise Agreements, the Franchisee (as the Designated Employer) is responsible for paying employer pension contributions required under the schedule of contributions applicable during their franchise term.

Great Western Rail Franchise

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what (a) agreement and (b) provision for pension liability risk was agreed between the Department for Transport and First Group when an extension to the Great Western rail franchise was announced on 29th November 2017.

Andrew Jones: The extension to the Great Western rail franchise announced in November 2017 involved the Secretary of State simply exercising his contractual right to extend the existing contract, on the same terms as agreed in 2015. As in all other Franchise Agreements, the Franchisee (as the Designated Employer) is responsible for paying employer pension contributions required under the schedule of contributions applicable during their franchise term. In the Great Western Railway franchise agreement, the Franchisee and its employees bear all risks associated with changes in pension contributions.

Rolling Stock: Procurement

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to assess socio-economic weighting in future rolling stock procurement.

Andrew Jones: The Government welcomes the investment in the UK through the awarding of rolling stock contracts by franchised train operators to UK based manufacturers. Through the Rail Sector Deal government is working with industry to promote procurement practices that support an innovative, highly-skilled, and productive British rail supply chain. The William’s Rail Review will, however, consider rail franchising as part of the root and branch review of the railway to ensure that rail delivers benefits for passengers and taxpayers.

Aviation: Noise

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will update the Survey of Noise Attitudes 2017 report to include areas that have experienced a three decibel or greater change in the noise environment.

Michael Ellis: My department has discussed the need to commission a further Survey of Noise Attitudes with the Airspace and Noise Engagement Group, which is a formal channel of communication between the department and airspace and airport noise stakeholders, and also with the Independent Commission on Civil Aviation Noise (ICCAN). The scope of any further study will be agreed in consultation with these bodies.

Govia: Pensions

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what agreement his Department has reached with Govia on the pensions liability risk sharing arrangements announced on 13 June 2019.

Andrew Jones: The South Eastern Direct Award is for a short period of time. As in all other Franchise Agreements, the Franchisee (as the Designated Employer) is responsible for paying employer pension contributions required under the schedule of contributions applicable during their franchise term. The Franchisee and its employees continue to bear all risks associated with changes in pension contributions.

Air Space

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether airspace will be classified as national infrastructure.

Michael Ellis: The Government considers airspace to be a key part of our national infrastructure in the UK, yet there has been little change to its overall structure since the 1950s. We are therefore working with key stakeholders to ensure it is modernised to meet the future needs of airspace users whilst minimising the environmental effects of aviation.

Railways: Franchises

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many contract awards his Department has made for rail franchise competitions since 2012.

Andrew Jones: The total number of franchise competition awards since 2012 is 9.

South Western Railway: Finance

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent (a) discussions and (b) meetings his Department have held with (a) First Group and (b) MTR Crossrail on adjustments to the Central London Employment Mechanism provision within the South Western Railways rail franchise; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones: Ongoing discussions between the Department and franchisees on the operation of the franchise agreement is vital for ensuring that the contract is effectively managed. First, MTR and SWR have made representation to Ministers and officials in relation to the Central London Employment mechanism. The terms of the Franchise Agreement have been applied.

Abellio Greater Anglia: Finance

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent (a) discussions and (b) meetings his  Department has held with Abellio on adjustments to the Central London Employment Mechanism provision within the Greater Anglia rail franchise; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones: Ongoing discussions between the Department and franchisees on the operation of the franchise agreement is vital for ensuring that the contract is effectively managed. Abellio and Greater Anglia have made representation to Ministers and officials in relation to the Central London Employment mechanism. The terms of the Franchise Agreement have been applied.

Train Operating Companies: Payments

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what comparative estimate he has made of premium payments received by Government from (a) franchised rail operators and (b) rail operators running under a direct award since 2012.

Andrew Jones: The net premium paid (or subsidy received) by each passenger franchise is published annually by the Office of Rail and Road. The most recent published statistics are for 2017/18, and are available alongside previous years’ figures here: http://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/browsereports/1 The government aims to achieve best value for taxpayers and passengers by awarding franchises through competitive procurement wherever possible, but it is sometimes necessary to make a direct award for operational or other reasons. The rail franchising schedule (updated annually for 2017 and earlier years) shows the contractual status of each franchise over the years since 2012. The 2017 edition is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rail-franchise-schedule with earlier versions available in the UK government web archive.

Department for Transport: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps he has taken to ensure that his special advisers comply with the provisions of section 16 of the Code of Conduct for Special Advisors, Involvement in politics in a private capacity: national political activity.

Michael Ellis: I refer the Hon Member to paragraph 9 of the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers. The Code forms part of the model contract for Special Advisers. The Cabinet Office has overall responsibility for the content of the model contract and the Code of Conduct.

East Coast Railway Line

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 12 June 2019 to Question 260016 what proportion of the total number of rail services which run on the east coast mainline are operated by the operator of the east coast franchise London and North Eastern Railway.

Andrew Jones: The Department does not hold this information. However, London North Eastern Railway (LNER) is the only operator which runs passenger services across its full length.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Iran: Chieftain Tanks

Heidi Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the Ministry of Defence on the £400 million which is reported to be due to Iran following arrangements made between the UK and Iran in the 1970s for the purchase of Chieftain tanks; and what recent discussions he has had with his Iranian counterpart on that matter.

Dr Andrew Murrison: ​This is a long-standing case and relates to contracts signed over 40 years ago with the pre-revolution Iranian regime. The case is subject to a legal process, and the most recent hearing concluded on 22 May. We await the court's judgement, which will be a step forward in this complex and long-standing case. As Ministers have said in Parliament, it would be inappropriate to comment in detail while litigation continues.

Israel: Hebron

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on reports of Israeli forces firing tear gas canisters into a boys’ school in the Israeli-controlled H2 area of Hebron City on 9 April.

Dr Andrew Murrison: We have not made any assessment of this issue. While we recognise Israel's legitimate need to deploy security measures, we encourage them to deploy these in a way which minimises tension and use appropriate force. In instances where there have been accusations of excessive use of force, we have advocated swift, transparent investigations.

Jerusalem: Demolition

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on reports of the demolition of 31 structures in neighbourhoods in occupied East Jerusalem by Israeli authorities on 29 April.

Dr Andrew Murrison: We have repeatedly made clear to the Israeli authorities our serious concern at the increase in demolitions of Palestinian properties in Area C of the West Bank. We call on them to cease the policy of demolitions and provide a clear, transparent route to construction for Palestinians in Area C.​

West Bank: Demolition

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on reports of the demolition of a family home in Az Zawiya village in the occupied West Bank 25 April 2019.

Dr Andrew Murrison: We continue to be gravely concerned by the impact of demolitions and evictions on ordinary Palestinians and the impact this has on the viability of a future Palestinian state. Demolitions and evictions of Palestinians from their homes cause unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians; call into question Israel's commitment to a viable two-state solution; and, in all but the most exceptional of cases, are contrary to International Humanitarian Law. We fund a number of projects to monitor and report on settlement expansion in East Jerusalem and the West Bank and to protect vulnerable Palestinian communities from the effects of settlement expansion.

USA: Foreign Relations

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress has been made on strengthening the special relationship with the US.

Sir Alan Duncan: The State Visit of President Trump on 3-5 June further strengthened our already close relationship with the US in areas such as trade, investment, security and defence. The Prime Minister discussed with President Trump how we could build on these ties in the years ahead, including an ambitious free trade agreement when we leave the EU.

Honduras: Politics and Government

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the political and security situation in Honduras.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The political and security situation in Honduras remains volatile. In April and May protests against proposed reforms to health and education funding in Tegucigalpa turned violent. The UK updated its travel advice accordingly. More widely, significant numbers of migrants continue to leave the country for the US via Mexico and high levels of intimidation and violence perpetrated against human rights defenders and journalists persist. We engage with the Honduran Government on these issues through its non-resident Embassy in Guatemala City and through its membership of the G16 group of donors, and work closely with civil society organisations in Tegucigalpa.

Ivan Golunov

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Russian counterpart on (a) the arrest of Ivan Golunov and (b) the Russian Government's response to the subsequent protests.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The UK welcomes the dropping of charges against Russian investigative journalist Ivan Golunov. The Foreign Secretary and I publicly voiced our deep concern following Mr Golunov's arrest. We hope his release is indicative of a movement towards greater press freedom in Russia. However, we are concerned that over 500 people were detained in subsequent protests. We call on Russia to respect freedom of speech and expression, and will continue to defend media freedom. We prioritise the promotion and protection of human rights, and will make our concerns clear in bilateral interactions at all levels, where appropriate.

Kazakhstan: Elections

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the recent election in Kazakhstan.

Sir Alan Duncan: We refer to the report by the OSCE that the Presidential election in Kazakhstan on 9 June showed a lack of regard for fundamental freedoms, including the detention of peaceful protestors and widespread voting irregularities. The UK urges the Government of Kazakhstan to learn from the OSCE's conclusions, and to implement improvements to the electoral process.

Department of Health and Social Care

NHS: Crimes of Violence

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many assaults on NHS staff occurred in (a) Suffolk and (b) England in 2018.

Stephen Hammond: The number of assaults on National Health Service staff that occurred in Suffolk in 2018, is 2,318. This information is collected from local trusts by NHS Improvement.The number of assaults on NHS staff occurring across England is not currently collected centrally.

Health Visitors

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made about the effectiveness of delivery of Early Years and Health Visiting Services since the transfer of those services from NHS to local authority commissioning; and if he will make a statement.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Following a review led by the Department, my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has confirmed that local authorities will continue to commission sexual health, school nurses and health visitors. The review found that local authorities take an active and efficient approach to commissioning services and recognised the steps that local authorities have taken to improve and modernise the services they commission. The review recommended that the National Health Service work much more closely with local authorities on public health so that commissioning is more joined-up and prevention is embedded into a wider range of health services. The Department will be seeking views in the forthcoming Prevention Green Paper about how action can be taken forward.My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced the outcome at the Jephcott Lecture at the Royal Society of Medicine on Thursday 6 June 2019.

HIV Infection: Drugs

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he is making in doubling the number of places on the PrEP impact trial; and for what reasons 42 sites are currently closed to men who have sex with men.

Seema Kennedy: The Pre Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Impact Trial provides access to PrEP to almost 13,000 individuals across 150 trial sites. To inform the future commissioning of PrEP, the trial has been increased to enable up to 26,000 individuals to be recruited. Currently, 147 clinics are open to recruitment. As at the beginning of June, 38 clinics notified the central trial team that they were not currently open to recruitment for men who have sex with men. It is understood that the range of reasons include temporary staffing or premise issues, capacity and local authority commissioner approval. This figure will therefore be subject to change.

Health Services: Asylum

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reasons NHS England has ceased printing and distributing hard copies of the How to register with a doctor leaflets for asylum seekers and refugees.

Seema Kennedy: NHS England is currently reviewing the information provided to patients. The “How to register with a doctor” leaflets remain available online and can be printed as necessary from the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/AboutNHSservices/doctors/Documents/how-to-register-with-a-gp-leaflet.pdfThe process of registering with, and gaining access to, primary medical care services is the same for all patients, whether they are gypsies, travellers, homeless or vulnerable migrants. People do not need to provide proof of address to register with a general practitioner (GP).The free NHS 111 service can assist anyone who has faced difficulty finding a GP or accessing other services in their local area.

Ovarian Cancer: Contraceptives

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the Royal College of Nursing on use of the contraceptive pill to reduce the chances of ovarian cancer.

Seema Kennedy: No such discussions have taken place. Any treatment available on the National Health Service is in line with the appropriate clinical guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

General Practitioners: Rural Areas

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has carried out a rural proofing review of the implementation of primary care networks.

Seema Kennedy: Recognising the specific circumstances faced by some rural practices, there are additional flexibilities. NHS England has explicitly allowed rurality as an exception for meeting the definition of a Primary Care Networks. As set out in the Network Contract Direct Enhanced Service (DES) (under paragraph 3.2) commissioners may waiver the 30,000 minimum population “where a PCN serves a natural community which has a low population density across a large rural and remote area”. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/network-contract-des-specification-2019-20-v1.pdf

Pregabalin: Safety

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the study by Oxford University on links between pregabalin and epilepsy, what recent assessment his Department has made of the safety of the epilepsy drug pregabalin.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) continuously monitors the safety of all medicines on the market in the United Kingdom and seeks independent expert advice from the Commission on Human Medicines and its advisory groups on important new safety issues.The MHRA is aware of the study by Molero et al published in the BMJ on 12 June 2019 which suggests that gabapentinoid medicines, pregabalin and gabapentin, are associated with an increased risk of suicidal behaviour, unintentional overdoses, head/body injuries and road traffic incidents and offences.Pregabalin is authorised for the treatment of epilepsy, neuropathic pain and generalised anxiety disorder. Pregabalin is recognised to be associated with a range of possible side effects including dizziness, somnolence, loss of consciousness, confusion and mental impairment which could explain the increased risk of injuries and traffic accidents identified in this new study.The product information for pregabalin currently contains relevant warnings regarding suicidal ideation and behaviour, possible side effects, as well as the possible effects on driving and operating machinery. The MHRA will carefully consider this new study and whether new advice needs to be issued to healthcare professionals and patients.

Department for Education

Department for Education: Empty Property

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish the name and location of the land and buildings owned by his Department that is (a) sitting empty and (b) in the process of being sold or disposed of; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: Holding answer received on 19 June 2019



Within the free school programme, if a freehold site is deemed surplus for educational use, the department commission LocatED, a government–owned property company, to market the asset, which includes posting on to the central database of Central Government Civil Estate properties and land. The department has a freehold of the Grade II listed Old Admiralty Building in London. This building is currently empty because the department is undertaking an extensive refurbishment of the building. In early 2020, the freehold will transfer to the Government Property Agency. All other departmental office premises are leasehold buildings, in which we are a tenant.

English Language: Refugees

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of providing English for Speakers of Other Languages training for refugee women on the (a) number of hours of English language teaching available to and (b) ability to access childcare of those women.

Anne Milton: The government recognises that learning English is essential in enabling refugee women to rebuild their lives. We are working across government to develop a new strategy for English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) in 2019, which will include addressing the needs of refugees.The department funds ESOL through the Adult Education Budget, which is allocated to providers on an annual basis. Colleges and adult learning providers have the freedom and flexibility to determine how they use their Adult Education Budget allocation to meet the needs of their communities. This includes planning, with local partners, the ESOL courses that they will deliver locally. The Home Office and the Department for Education have provided £10 million to enable refugees resettled through the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme to access additional classes.We know that there are many examples of good practice to overcome barriers for learners with childcare needs. Through the ESOL strategy, we will explore what else needs to be done to enable good local solutions and to support greater access to English language provision.All 3 and 4 year olds in England are entitled to 570 hours a year of funded early education over no fewer than 38 weeks of the year (which equates to 15 hours a week for 38 weeks of the year) irrespective of the immigration status of the child or their parent(s).Local authorities have a duty to provide information, advice and assistance for parents and prospective parents on the provision of childcare in their area. Parents can contact their local Family Information Service for details of local childcare and early years provision in their area.For those who come to the UK under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme, additional funds are made available for childcare to ensure this is not a barrier for mothers and carers to learn English.

Bright Tribe Multi-academy Trust

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2019 to Question 261234 on Bright Tribe Multi-academy Trust, which board meetings his Department holds minutes of; and whether those minutes are unredacted.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Education: Statistics

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on how many occasions his Department has received representations from the UK Statistics Authority on his Department's presentation and use of statistics in each year since 2010.

Anne Milton: Details on interventions by the UK Statistics Authority (UKSA) are published in the correspondence[1], publications[2], and issues log[3] sections of their website since 2010. The UKSA’s Office for Statistics Regulation also carry out regular assessments and systemic reviews, details of which can also be found on the UKSA’s website[4]. In September 2018, the UKSA published the first annual summary of its interventions for the financial year 2017/18[5]. The report for 2018/19 will be published in the autumn. [1] https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/correspondence-list/.[2] https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/publications-list/.[3] https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/reports-and-correspondence/issues-log/.[4] https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/osr/.[5] https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/publication/annual-casework-review-20172018/.

English Language: Refugees

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has to improve access to ESOL provision for (a) refugee women and (b) refugee women who have childcare and caring responsibilities.

Anne Milton: The government recognises that learning English is essential in enabling refugee women to rebuild their lives. We are working across government to develop a new strategy for English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) in 2019, which will include addressing the needs of refugees.The department funds ESOL through the Adult Education Budget, which is allocated to providers on an annual basis. Colleges and adult learning providers have the freedom and flexibility to determine how they use their Adult Education Budget allocation to meet the needs of their communities. This includes planning, with local partners, the ESOL courses that they will deliver locally. The Home Office and the Department for Education have provided £10 million to enable refugees resettled through the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme to access additional classes.We know that there are many examples of good practice to overcome barriers for learners with childcare needs. Through the ESOL strategy, we will explore what else needs to be done to enable good local solutions and to support greater access to English language provision.All 3 and 4 year olds in England are entitled to 570 hours a year of funded early education over no fewer than 38 weeks of the year (which equates to 15 hours a week for 38 weeks of the year) irrespective of the immigration status of the child or their parent(s).Local authorities have a duty to provide information, advice and assistance for parents and prospective parents on the provision of childcare in their area. Parents can contact their local Family Information Service for details of local childcare and early years provision in their area.For those who come to the UK under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme, additional funds are made available for childcare to ensure this is not a barrier for mothers and carers to learn English.

Primary Education: Admissions

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the recent London School of Economics report which has found that children with special educational needs and disabilities who attend nurseries based in primary schools are significantly less likely than their peers to be admitted into the school’s reception class.

Nadhim Zahawi: The government’s ambition for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is the same for every other child: to make the most of early education, thrive in school and to live happy fulfilled lives. The London School of Economics report focusses on data related to the behaviour of schools and a cohort of children born into the 2006/07 academic year. This report does not consider parental choice in that some children may have gone onto a special school rather than the primary school they attended as their preschool choice. Where a child’s education health care (EHC) plan names a school, the child must be admitted to that school. Where a child does not have an EHC plan, places will be allocated in accordance with the school's published admission arrangements. Furthermore, all mainstream state-funded schools must comply with the school admissions code and wider admissions law, as well as with equalities law. The code is clear that admission authorities must ensure their arrangements will not disadvantage unfairly, directly or indirectly a child with SEND.

Breakfast Clubs

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria his Department will use when deciding whether to extend the National School Breakfast Programme.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department plans to extend the National School Breakfast Programme to cover (a) more schools and (b) more children.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to lower the number of children at risk of starting the school day too hungry to learn.

Nadhim Zahawi: I refer The hon. Member for North Durham to the answer I gave on 4 June 2019 to Question 259855.Decisions regarding funding beyond March 2020 will be taken as part of the upcoming Spending Review.

Children: Day Care

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of the risks and effects of carbon monoxide poisoning among childcare providers on the Early Years Register; and if he will make a statement.

Nadhim Zahawi: All providers on the Early Years Register in England must comply with the safeguarding and welfare requirements set out in the early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework. Providers must ensure that their premises are fit for purpose and comply with the requirements of health and safety legislation.Ofsted refer to the EYFS statutory framework when carrying out inspections and may issue a welfare requirement notice in respect of any failure to meet a requirement in the document. It is an offence if a provider fails to comply with a welfare requirement notice.

Breakfast Clubs: Birkenhead

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools in Birkenhead have received funds from the allocation of £26 million for additional breakfast provision since March 2018.

Nadhim Zahawi: Information from the programme is still being collected and data on funding at local authority level is not available at this stage. We will review the effectiveness of the programme once it has fully concluded.

Ministry of Justice

Courts and Probation: ICT

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of IT systems failures in probation services and the courts in January 2019.

Robert Buckland: The Ministry of Justice is continuing discussions with its Suppliers in relation to the outage. Due to the ongoing nature of these discussions it is not possible to provide any information pertaining to the quantification of costs, at this time.

Prison Officers: Disciplinary Proceedings

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison officers have been placed under investigation for (a) less than one month, (b) between one and three months, (c) between three and six months, (d) between six and 12 months and (e) over 12 months due to alleged (i) misconduct and (ii) gross misconduct in each of the last three years.

Edward Argar: Table 1a - Number of Prison Officers1,2 (headcount) subject to Conduct and Discipline investigations due to Misconduct, by length of investigation3, 2015/16 to 2017/18 2015/162016/172017/18Less than one month123138130Between one and three months144162138Between three and six months181618Between six and 12 months5114Over 12 months~~~ Table 1b - Number of Prison Officers1,2 (headcount) subject to Conduct and Discipline investigations due to Gross Misconduct, by length of investigation3, 2015/16 to 2017/18 2015/162016/172017/18Less than one month201921between one and three months111103118between three and six months12912between six and 12 months~5~over 12 months006 Notes:1. Includes Band 3-4 / Prison Officer (incl. specialists), Band 4 / Supervising Officer and Band 5 / Custodial Managers.2. Staff with at least one conduct and discipline case concluded during the year.Staff with no end date in the data, indicating open cases, have been excluded. '~ denotes suppressed values of 2 or fewer or other values which would allow values of 2 or fewer to be derived by subtraction. Low numbers are suppressed to prevent disclosure in accordance with the Data Protection Act, 1998.

Prison Officers: Disciplinary Proceedings

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of disciplinary cases in which prison officers have been placed under investigation lasting (a) less than one month, (b) between one and three months, (c) between three and six months, (d) between six and twelve months and (e) over twelve months have progressed to (i) misconduct and (ii) gross misconduct proceedings in each of the last three years.

Edward Argar: Table 1a: Proportion of Conduct and Discipline cases1, involving Prison Officers2, which progressed to misconduct proceedings, by length of investigation3, 2015/16 to 2017/18 2015/162016/172017/18Less than one month75%71%74%Between one and three months53%58%48%Between three and six months47%60%47%Between six and 12 months50%63%67%Over 12 months100%100%14% Table 1b: Proportion of Conduct and Discipline cases1, involving Prison Officers3, which progressed to gross misconduct proceedings, by length of investigation3, 2015/16 to 2017/18 2015/162016/172017/18Less than one month20%20%24%between one and three months45%40%49%between three and six months43%36%43%between six and 12 months17%38%33%over 12 months0%0%86% Notes:1. A case is defined as a unique combination of case and individual member of staff. Where more than one member of staff is involved in a single case these are counted separately in this table. Equally staff involved in more than one case during the year are counted multiple times.2. Includes Band 3-4 / Prison Officer (incl. specialists), Band 4 / Supervising Officer and Band 5 / Custodial Managers.3. Staff with no end date in the data, indicating open cases, have been excluded

Prison Officers: Disciplinary Proceedings

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison officers have been suspended for (a) less than one month, (b) between one and three months, (c) between three and six months, (d) between six and 12 months and (e) over 12 months due to alleged (i) misconduct and (ii) gross misconduct in each of the last three years.

Robert Buckland: We are unable to provide an answer. Data on suspensions is held separately to the data held on conduct and discipline and it is not possible to link them together. This would be necessary to provide an answer.

Prison Officers: Misconduct

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cases of alleged (a) misconduct and (b) gross misconduct by prison officers that reach proceedings have (i) not been proven, (ii) led to management advice, (iii) led to a written warning and (iv) led to dismissal in each of the last three years.

Edward Argar: Table 1: Conduct & discipline cases1 for misconduct and gross misconduct by band 3-5 prison officers2, by outcome3, 2015/16 to 2017/18 Misconduct 2015/162016/172017/18 Not been proven102613 Management advice & guidance202919 Written warning178202197 Dismissal~~~ Other outcomes4715564  Gross Misconduct 2015/162016/172017/18 Not been proven12 76 Management advice & guidance478 Written warning595670 Dismissal727480 Other outcomes4283552 Notes:Notes:1. A case is defined as a unique combination of case and individual member of staff. Where more than one member of staff is involved in a single case these are counted separately in this table. Equally staff involved in more than one case during the year are counted multiple times.2. Includes Band 3-4 / Prison Officer (incl specialists), Band 4 / Supervising Officer and Band 5 / Custodial Managers.3. Information on the outcomes of any appeal is not included.4. Includes where cases have been withdrawn/closed or where other disciplinary action was taken, such as financial penalties, regrades/downgrades, verbal warnings. '~ denotes suppressed values of 2 or fewer or other values which would allow values of 2 or fewer to be derived by subtraction. Low numbers are suppressed to prevent disclosure in accordance with the Data Protection Act, 1998.

Prison Officers: Misconduct

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cases of alleged (a) misconduct and (b) gross misconduct by prison officers that lead to proceedings following an investigation lasting more than 12 months have (i) not been proven, (ii) led to management advice being issued, (iii) led to a written warning and (iv) led to dismissal in each of the last three years.

Edward Argar: Table 1: Conduct & discipline cases1 for misconduct and gross misconduct by band 3-5 prison officers2 which lasted more than 12 months3, by outcome4, 2015/16 to 2017/18 Misconduct 2015/162016/172017/18  Not been proven000  Management advice & guidance0~0 Written warning000 Dismissal000 Other outcomes5~0~ Gross MisconductNot been proven000  Management advice & guidance005 Written warning000 Dismissal000 Other outcomes500~ Notes: 1. A case is defined as a unique combination of case and individual member of staff. Where more than one member of staff is involved in a single case these are counted separately in this table. Equally staff involved in more than one case during the year are counted multiple times. 2. Includes Band 3-4 / Prison Officer (incl. specialists), Band 4 / Supervising Officer and Band 5 / Custodial Managers. 3. Staff with no end date in the data, indicating open cases, have been excluded. 4. Information on the outcomes of any appeal is not included. 5. Includes where cases have been withdrawn/closed or where other disciplinary action was taken, such as financial penalties, regrades/downgrades, verbal warnings. '~ denotes suppressed values of 2 or fewer or other values which would allow values of 2 or fewer to be derived by subtraction. Low numbers are suppressed to prevent disclosure in accordance with the Data Protection Act, 1998.

Prison Officers: Misconduct

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cases of alleged (a) misconduct and (b) gross misconduct by prison officers that led to proceedings following a suspension lasting over 12 months have (i) not been proven, (ii) led to management advice being issued, (iii) led to a written warning, and (iv) led to dismissal in each of the last three years.

Robert Buckland: We are unable to provide an answer. Data on suspensions is held separately to the data held on conduct and discipline and it is not possible to link them together would be necessary to provide an answer.

Prison Officers: Disciplinary Proceedings

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of wages paid to suspended prison officers whilst under investigation in each of the last three years.

Robert Buckland: We are unable to provide an answer. Data on suspensions is held separately to the data held on conduct and discipline and it is not possible to link them together. This would be necessary to provide an answer.

Ministry of Justice: ICT

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of the IT problems experienced in the week commencing 21 January 2019.

Robert Buckland: The Ministry of Justice is continuing discussions with its Suppliers in relation to the outage. Due to the ongoing nature of these discussions it is not possible to provide any information pertaining to the quantification of costs, at this time.

Ministry of Justice: Statistics

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on how many occasions his Department has received representations from the UK Statistics Authority on his Department's presentation and use of statistics in each year since 2010.

Robert Buckland: Details of the UK Statistics Authority’s interventions are published in the correspondence, publications, and issues log sections of their website since 2010 and can be found here:https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/correspondence-list/https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/publications-list/https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/reports-and-correspondence/issues-log/ The Authority’s Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) also carry out regular assessments and systemic reviews, details of which can also be found on the Authority’s website here: https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/osr/. In September 2018, the Authority published the first annual summary of its interventions for the financial year 2017/18. The report for 2018/19 will be published in the autumn.

Ministry of Justice: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many meetings he held with his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 March 2019 and 31 May 2019.

Edward Argar: The responsibilities of a Chief Scientific Advisor are performed by the Director of Analysis in the Ministry of Justice. The Director of Analysis has had two meetings with the Secretary of State between 1 March 2019 and 31 May 2019.

Forensic Science: Misconduct

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment his Department has made of the number of Civil and Family Court cases where decisions were taken on the basis of manipulated forensic testing provided by (a) Randox and (b) Trimega.

Edward Argar: Greater Manchester Police are undertaking an ongoing, expansive criminal investigation into alleged manipulation of toxicology results by individuals who were employed at Trimega, and later Randox Testing Services (RTS) after Trimega’s liquidation in 2014. The investigation will seek to determine how many cases may have been affected and retesting of samples continues at pace. As such, it is not possible to provide an estimate of the number of cases affected at this time. A bespoke court process has been implemented so that individuals who are concerned about the outcome of cases involving tests performed by Trimega can apply to the court to consider setting aside or changing their order.

Mentally Disordered Offenders: Prisoners' Transfers

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for the transfer of offenders to mental health hospitals under sections 47 and 48 of the Mental Health Act 1983.

Edward Argar: We are determined to improve the process of transfer from prison to hospital under the Mental Health Act to ensure delays are reduced. We take the mental health of prisoners extremely seriously, which is why we have increased the support available to vulnerable offenders, especially during the first 24 hours in custody. We are updating the mental health training for prison officers and so far over 24,000 new and existing prison staff have completed at least one module of the revised suicide and self-harm prevention training. HMPPS is working with NHS England and Public Health England to improve and redesign services for people in prison with mental health needs. This includes revising approaches to secure hospital transfers under section 47 and 48 of the Mental Health Act when a person needs to be in a hospital setting for their mental health assessment and treatment. HMPPS and NHS England have worked together to collect new evidence and have increased understanding of where transfers work well and how delays arise, identifying areas for improvement. NHS England are currently consulting on an updated version of DHSC’s good practice guidance on transfers and remissions, which will inform our approach. In addition, the independent review of the Mental Health Act, published in December 2018, made recommendations in relation to patients in the criminal justice system, which require detailed consideration in the context of transfers from prison to hospital and we will respond to these in due course. Officials in the Mental Health Casework Section (MHCS) in HMPPS issue transfer warrants on behalf of the Secretary of State. MHCS has an internal target to produce a transfer warrant within 24 hours of receipt of all necessary information. In the vast majority of cases (96%), transfer warrants are issued within 24 hours of MHCS receiving all necessary information. By holding partners to account where information is missing, MHCS has recently reduced the average time from initial notification to the issue of a warrant from 14 calendar days to 3 calendar days.

Prisons: Education

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 8 May 2019 to Question 248729, if he will place in the Library a copy of the joint action plan for improving progression of prisoners serving sentences of Imprisonment for Public Protection.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 8 May 2019 to Question 248729, what additional resources his Department has made available to improve progression of prisoners serving sentences of Imprisonment for Public Protection.

Edward Argar: HMPPS and the Parole Board keep the joint IPP action plan under continuous review so as to ensure that the actions in it meet the changing needs of the IPP population. Initially, the focus of the joint action plan was principally to make the parole system more efficient and to eradicate the substantial backlog of oral hearings, which had built up in the Board for IPP and life sentence offenders. A summary of the Joint IPP Action Plan will be placed in the House library. In 2017/18 the Ministry of Justice increased the Parole Board’s budget by £3.361m. The additional funding enabled the Board to induct and train over 100 new members and to hear more cases each month, so clearing a backlog. In October 2018, the Parole Board received an additional £1.5m to enable them to conduct additional hearings. This extra funding has delivered substantial improvements to the efficiency of the process, so that prisoners serving IPP sentences have their cases heard as quickly as is appropriate. In November 2016, we secured £100 million investment to fund the recruitment of additional prison officers and deliver the Offender Management in Custody Model (OMiC). This has introduced key workers, who have a vital role in supporting IPP prisoners. They, and the introduction of qualified case managers in prison for prisoners serving longer term sentences, including IPP prisoners, will improve the way we support prisoners through their sentences.

Department for International Trade

Offshore Industry: Bahrain

Mr David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential effectiveness of UK companies in developing Bahrain's oil and gas sector.

Graham Stuart: Our assessment is that UK companies should be in an excellent position to compete for suitable projects. UK Export Finance stands ready to provide support.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Buildings: Insulation

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Building Safety Programme monthly data release of 31 May 2019, how many local authorities have received the allowance for authorities for identifying the cladding and insulation status of private sector buildings.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Building Safety Programme: Monthly Data Release of 31 May 2019, what amount of the allowance for local authorities to identify the cladding and insulation status of private sector buildings has been given to local authorities.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Building Safety Programme monthly data release, published 31 May 2019, how much of the funding for local authorities to identify the cladding and insulation status of private sector buildings has been allocated to each local authority.

James Brokenshire: In 2017, we provided financial support to local authorities for data collection and reporting on cladding on high rise private residential buildings, on recognition of this as a new burden. The total amount transferred to local authorities was £289,000. Government then announced on 1 May 2018 that it would provide financial support of £1 million to assist those local authorities most affected in identifying private sector residential buildings over 18 metres to complete the process. The total allocation was paid to 80 eligible local authorities last summer.

Buildings: Insulation

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Building Safety Programme monthly data release, published 31 May 2019, how many local authorities have started enforcement proceedings against the owners of private blocks with ACM cladding.

James Brokenshire: MHCLG do not hold comprehensive data on how many local authorities have taken enforcement action. We are engaging with local authorities who are taking, or are considering taking, enforcement action and we have established a Joint Inspection Team to support local authorities and give them the confidence to pursue enforcement action.

Buildings: Insulation

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Building Safety Programme monthly data release published 31 May 2019, when the 163 private sector residential buildings identified as having ACM cladding will complete remediation.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Building Safety Programme monthly data release of 31 May 2019, what steps he is taking to ensure the remaining 163 private sector residential buildings identified as having ACM cladding complete remediation work.

James Brokenshire: The private sector remediation fund, announced on 9 May, will remove the biggest block to progress on remediation in the private residential buildings. However, the time to complete work varies considerably depending on the factors such as structure, extent of cladding, and existing fire safety systems. For many buildings this is a complex job involving major construction work. We will be closely monitoring the work as it progresses. We are also supporting local authorities to take enforcement action where building owners are refusing to remediate, including through the Joint Inspection Team.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, on what date in January 2016 a list of 24 possible sites for the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre was communicated by the CBRE to the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: CBRE submitted their report on 11 January 2016.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what criteria the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation used to assess what was cost-prohibitive in respect of possible sites for the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre in January 2016.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Foundation considered the likely purchase cost of possible sites.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what meetings were held in Downing Street on 2 December 2015 relating to the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre and involving members of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation; and who attended those meetings.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: I refer my Rt Hon Friend to the answer to Question UIN 122636 answered on 23 January 2018. The meeting included representatives from the Royal Parks, DCMS, MHCLG and UKHMF.

Building Regulations

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to use the forthcoming review of Building Regulations in England to propose that the Nationally Described Space Standard in Building Regulations be compulsory.

Kit Malthouse: The Government is working on its programme for undertaking the reviews of Building Regulations guidance recommended by Dame Judith Hackitt in her review of Building Regulations and fire safety and will set out its plans in due course.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Statistics

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, on how many occasions his Department has received representations from the UK Statistics Authority on his Department's presentation and use of statistics in each year since 2010.

Jake Berry: Details on the UK Statistics Authority's interventions since 2010 have been published in the 'Correspondence', 'Publications', and 'Issues Log' sections of their website.  The Authority's Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) also carry out regular assessments and systemic reviews, details of which can also be found on the Authority's website.   In September 2018, the Authority published the first annual summary of its interventions for the financial year 2017/18. The report for 2018/19 will be published in the autumn.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: CTF Partners

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether her (a) Department and (b) Department's agencies have entered into contracts with CTF Partners since 2015.

Stuart Andrew: The Ministry of Defence has never entered into a contract with CTF Partners.

Department for Work and Pensions

Department for Work and Pensions: Complaints

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints submitted to his Department by (a) hon. Members and (b) people in each parliamentary constituency in each of the last five years.

Will Quince: The information requested is not available in the format requested and doing so could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The Department has a two tier complaints process which considers formal complaints about our service and can be found on Gov.uk The Department does not collect data about the parliamentary constituency for complaints received from members of the public. Numbers of complaints can be found at(https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/complaints-about-the-department-for-work-and-pensions) The number of complaints about DWP benefits from April 2018 to March 2019, where the Department’s management information indicated that there was an honourable Member interest, are as follows:Tier 1 (Resolution)6,310Tier 2 (Review)51 These figures include complaints escalated across 2018/2019.

Universal Credit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to provide additional payments for claimants of universal credit who previously received additional support through the Severe Disability Premium; and what steps her Department is taking to notify former Severe Disability Premium claimants of their entitlement to additional support.

Justin Tomlinson: Since the introduction of The Universal Credit (Transitional Provisions) (SDP Gateway) Amendment Regulations 2019, which came into force on 16th January 2019, claimants who are entitled, or have been within the last month, to an award of an existing benefit that includes Severe Disability Premium (SDP) have not been required to move to Universal Credit; even if they have experienced a relevant change in their circumstances. The draft Universal Credit (Managed Migration Pilot and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2019, which are currently before Parliament, make provision for SDP transitional payments for those eligible claimants who have already moved to UC and for moving existing legacy claimants onto Universal Credit and implementing transitional protection. On Friday 3 May 2019, the High Court handed down a judgment in relation to Universal Credit and the SDP. The judgment quashed the SDP related parts of the draft Universal Credit (Managed Migration Pilot and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2019. The Department is pleased that the court recognises that it is for Ministers to determine the appropriate transitional arrangements for moving claimants on to Universal Credit, and we are currently considering the options open to us and will respond in due course.

Department for Work and Pensions: Statistics

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on how many occasions her Department has received representations from the UK Statistics Authority on her Department's presentation and use of statistics in each year since 2010.

Will Quince: Details on the UK Statistics Authority’s interventions are published in the correspondence, publications, and issues log sections of their website since 2010. https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/ The Authority’s Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) also carry out regular assessments and systemic reviews, details of which can also be found on the Authority’s website. https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/osr/ In September 2018, the Authority published the first annual summary of its interventions for the financial year 2017/18. The report for 2018/19 will be published in the autumn. https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/publication/annual-casework-review-20172018/

Funerals: Costs

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 7 May 2019 to Question 249851, what steps her Department takes to (a) make funerals accessible to everyone and (b) co-ordinate actions between the various bodies listed to ensure they are making funerals accessible to everyone.

Will Quince: The Social Fund Funeral Expenses Payments provides a significant contribution towards funeral costs for claimants on qualifying benefits. It continues to meet the necessary costs of a cremation or burial and up to £700 towards other costs. In 2017-18 around 25,500 Funeral Expenses Payment awards were made. This amounted to £37.1 million of support for funeral costs. Interest-free Social Fund Budgeting Loans and Universal Credit Budgeting Advances are now also available to assist with funeral costs. The Department holds regular discussions with funeral providers and related organisations, including a Ministerial Roundtable on 18th June 2019 to discuss the Social Fund Funeral Expenses Payments scheme and listen to views for suggested future improvements.

Access to Work Programme: Voluntary Work

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending Access to Work to people working on a voluntary basis.

Justin Tomlinson: Access to Work supports people who have a health condition or a disability to move into and sustain paid employment. The current scheme does not support unpaid or voluntary work. However, we recognise the importance of voluntary work and the benefits this can provide in securing paid employment. Access to Work does assist people who have a health condition or a disability to take up voluntary pre-employment opportunities, such as Work Experience and Work Trials, which may lead to paid employment.

Department for Work and Pensions: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many meetings she has held with her Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 March 2019 and 31 May 2019.

Will Quince: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions held no meetings with the Department’s Chief Scientific Advisor between 1 March 2019 and 31 May 2019.

Universal Credit

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that universal credit claimants paying rent weekly do not face a one-week shortfall in their universal credit housing element in 2020.

Will Quince: No-one will face a one-week shortfall in their Universal Credit (UC) housing element in 2020 as no year contains 53 weeks. This perceived issue of there being a one-week shortfall due to there being 53 weeks in a year arises where a landlord charges rent weekly on a Monday and, because of the way the calendar falls every 5 or 6 years, requiring 53 rent payments in a year, with the 53rd payment in part covering the tenancy for the first few days of the following year. Where a tenant makes a 53rd rent payment in a given year, this payment will cover some days in the subsequent year. This will mean the following month only has four payment dates and, as such, the claimant will be ‘overpaid’ for their housing and their shortfall will be recovered. Universal Credit payments are designed to mirror the world of work, with monthly payments reflecting the way many working people are paid. This model of monthly payments allows claimants to take responsibility for budgeting their own income and helps prepare them for getting back to work. We are aware of a separate issue with respect to the way the calculation in the Universal Credit regulations converts a weekly liability into a monthly allowance. The conversion is achieved by multiplying the weekly rent by 52 and then dividing by 12. This effectively means one day’s rent a year (two days in a leap years) are not covered by UC. We are currently considering whether this formulation around weekly rents, and potentially other weekly amounts in the UC calculation, should be amended.

Universal Credit

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will work with housing associations to share data to support tenants when undergoing transfer from legacy benefits onto universal credit.

Alok Sharma: We are working with Trusted Partners, including Housing Associations, to identify how best to support claimants within the Harrogate Move to UC pilot as they move from legacy benefits to UC. We will explore whether data sharing is required as part of this support.

Universal Credit

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will bring forward the extension of the repayment period of the Advance Payment Loan available to universal credit claimants.

Alok Sharma: Advances are not loans; they are an interest free advance payment of benefit, available to help people who need immediate financial support, which is then recovered over an agreed period. We have carefully considered the impact and deliverability of the measures announced in the Autumn Budget 2018 for Universal Credit. The delivery dates we announced achieve the best balance between continually improving Universal Credit to respond to claimant need and ensuring the service is technically and operationally scalable as the volumes on Universal Credit continue to rise through 2019 and 2020.

Universal Credit

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will provide universal credit claimants (a) with payments rather than advance payment loans and (b) with those payments earlier than five weeks to ensure that they do not fall into rent arrears.

Alok Sharma: Universal Credit payments are designed to mirror the world of work, with monthly payments reflecting the way many working people are paid. This model of monthly payments allows claimants to take responsibility for budgeting their own income and helps prepare them for getting back to work. Advance payments of Universal Credit are not loans. They are Universal Credit paid early, which is then recovered over an agreed period via deductions from the claimant’s Universal Credit award. No claimant has to go five weeks without receiving support, as advances, worth up to 100 per cent of a claimant’s indicative award, are available up front, if there is need. Advances are paid back over a period of 12 months and in the Autumn Budget 2018, we announced that from October 2021, the payback period for these advances will be extended further, up to 16 months. This is just one of a number of measures the Department has put in place to support claimants such as paying those claimants moving from Housing Benefit onto Universal Credit a two week ‘transitional housing payment’. We are also introducing a two-week run on for eligible claimants of Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance from July 2020.

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2019 to Question 259875 on Universal Credit, how many individual claims are represented by each percentage figure given.

Alok Sharma: The information requested is available in the attached document for both new claims and existing claims. The Limited Capability for Work (LCW) addition is no longer payable on new claims to Universal Credit (UC) since 3rd April 2017. Figures for the number of claims paid in full on time is subject to fluctuation. This particularly effects the figures for LCW in the first assessment period which are subject to change. Claimants in the Limited Capability for Work and Work Related Activity (LCWRA) group may not receive their additional element within the first assessment period due to the additional element being calculated based on the outcome of their Work Capability Assessment (WCA) which, due to the need for medical evidence and assessment, may not be complete by the end of the first assessment period. Claimants who naturally migrate to UC from Employment and Support Allowance, and are currently receiving the LCW / LCWRA addition, will continue to receive it on their UC claim from day 1 as long as there has been no break in their claim and they have declared the same health condition when they moved across to UC. UC payment timeliness has continued to improve during its rollout, we are also continually introducing improvements to its design, for example most recently, by making childcare and housing verification easier. These improvements are not yet fully reflected in the data supplied.



Data Tables
(Excel SpreadSheet, 14.38 KB)

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on how many occasions inaccurate returns from Real Time Information has affected claims for universal credit in each of the last 12 months.

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many occasions universal credit claimants have registered concerns, questions, or complaints on Real Time Information in each of the last 12 months.

Alok Sharma: The Department has been working closely with HMRC since Universal Credit went live in 2013 to support and inform employers who report earnings to emphasise the importance of timely reporting via the Real Time Information (RTI) system. HMRC have updated their guidance to reiterate to employers the importance of reporting accurate dates and the impact on payment cycles; the Financial Secretary to the Treasury is also working closely with HMRC and employers to do this. RTI concerns, questions and complaints data is not centrally collated and could only be supplied at disproportionate to the Department. The Department received over 31 million RTI notifications from employers for Universal Credit claimants in the last 12 months (17 June 2018 to 16 June 2019). These records were used to produce over 18.5 million individual earnings calculations and 77,952 of those calculations were disputed by claimants, of which around a fifth were upheld.

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2019 to Question 259875, how many and what proportion of claimants within the period covered received no payment by the date on which they should have been paid at the end of their first assessment period.

Alok Sharma: The requested information is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Statistics

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on how many occasions his Department has received representations from the UK Statistics Authority on his Department's presentation and use of statistics in each year since 2010.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Details on the UK Statistics Authority’s interventions are published in the correspondence[1], publications[2], and issues log[3] sections of their website since 2010. The Authority’s Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) also carry out regular assessments and systemic reviews, details of which can also be found on the Authority’s website[4]. In September 2018, the Authority published the first annual summary of its interventions for the financial year 2017/18[5]. The report for 2018/19 will be published in the autumn.[1] https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/correspondence-list/[2] https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/publications-list/[3] https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/reports-and-correspondence/issues-log/[4] https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/osr/[5] https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/publication/annual-casework-review-20172018/

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many meetings he held with his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 March 2019 and 31 May 2019.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Secretary of State has had one bilateral meeting with Defra’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 March 2019 and 31 May 2019. The Chief Scientific Adviser also regularly attends other Secretary of State meetings on wider issues.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support scrappage schemes for highly polluting vehicles.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government is not currently considering a national scrappage scheme in light of concerns over deliverability and value for money. However we have not restricted the types of measures eligible local authorities could bid for funding for from the Clean Air Fund which supports local authorities with nitrogen dioxide exceedances. The Government will continue to assess bids that relate to scrappage and where these are approved support the local authorities in delivery of these schemes.

Low Emission Zones: Greater London

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support the Mayor of London's ultra low emissions zone scheme.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Mayor of London is responsible for air quality in the capital and has reserve powers under Part IV of the Environment Act (1995) to reflect this.London received funding for air quality as part of the 2015 £5.7 billion Transport for London funding settlement. London and Londoners have also received almost £147 million funding from the Government’s £3.5 billion plan to improve air quality and reduce harmful emissions, including almost £10 million this year to clean up London’s buses.

Low Emission Zones

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural affairs, what steps he is taking to encourage the development of ultra-low emissions zones in highly polluted areas.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Our UK Plan for Tackling Roadside Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) Concentrations, supported by a £3.5 billion investment into air quality and cleaner transport, sets out how we will achieve legal compliance of NO2 limits in the shortest possible time. As a result of the NO2 Plan, the Government is working closely with 61 English local authorities to tackle their exceedances. Oxford City Council (OCC) was required to carry out a targeted feasibility study where the Defra/ DfT Joint Air Quality Unit provided £50,000 as part of the NO2 plan.Under the Air Quality Grant, OCC was provided with £122,500 for city-wide communication programmes to support achievement of zero-emissions delivery freight, and £128, 500 for testing of low cost Zephyr sensor packages to compare with current sensors and improve data.

Air Pollution: Health Hazards

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 7 May 2019 to Question 251249, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) reach and (b) effectiveness of its work to communicate with people vulnerable to the effects of air pollution during episodes of high pollution.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government does not assess the reach and effectiveness of its communication for each air pollution episode. However, we work closely with Public Health England and a network of health charities to ensure that key health messages reach those who are vulnerable to the effects of air pollution, during episodes of high pollution. The Government has committed in the 2019 Clean Air Strategy to develop and deliver a personal air quality messaging system to inform the public, particularly those who are vulnerable to air pollution, about the air quality forecast and provide clearer information on air pollution episodes and health advice. This builds on the air quality forecasts and information already published on the Government’s UK-AIR website.

Home Office

Travel Restrictions: Syria

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has plans to ban travel to Rojava in Syria.

Mr Ben Wallace: The Home Secretary announced on 20 May that he intended to consider the case for designating any part of Syria, with a focus on Idlib and North-East Syria, under section 58C of the Terrorism Act 2000 as amended by the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019. That review is ongoing and any decision to exercise this power will be announced in due course.

Home Office: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many meetings he held with his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 March 2019 and 31 May 2019.

Victoria Atkins: Home Office Ministers have regular meetings with Ministerial colleagues and others as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Government's practice to pro-vide details of all such meetings.

Homophobia: Hate Crime

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department has taken to reduce homophobic hate crime.

Victoria Atkins: In October 2018 the Government published Action Against Hate: the Government’s plan for tackling hate crime two years on.The Action Plan includes a number of commitments that are addressing all forms of hate crime, including a review of hate crime legislation by the Law Commission which commenced earlier this year, a public awareness campaign which has run twice, and the current Online Harms White Paper consultation.There are also a number of specific commitments addressing homophobic hate crime, which have been informed by the Government’s 2018 LGBT Ac-tion Plan. These include: the Crown Prosecution Service working with partners to improve the recording and monitoring of equalities data for LGBT victims of hate crime and reviewing and refreshing its LGBT Hate Crime Schools Pack; further Government Equalities Office funding for anti-bullying interventions in schools from March 2019 to March 2020; support from the Home Office to the police to improve training in responding to victims; multiple Home Office funded projects aimed at tackling homophobic hate crime; and continued engagement with LBGT stakeholders.

Antisocial Behaviour: Complaints

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2019 to Question 259015, what steps he is taking to ensure that relevant bodies in local government areas publish their data on ASB Case Reviews.

Victoria Atkins: We introduced the anti-social behaviour (ASB) Case Review, also known as the ‘Community Trigger’, through the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 (“the 2014 Act”) to ensure victims’ voices are heard.The 2014 Act requires the relevant bodies in a local government area to publish, at least annually, information about the review applications they receive. We have published statutory guidance on the 2014 Act which makes these requirements clear and highlights that agencies may wish to publish data more frequently or publish additional details.It is for the relevant bodies to ensure that they comply with the requirements in the 2014 Act.We keep the use of the powers in the 2014 Act under review through a National Anti-social Behaviour Strategic Board which brings together a range of partners and representatives from key agencies.

Deportation: Sri Lanka

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 10 May to Question 251906, how many people have been deported to Sri Lanka in 2019.

Caroline Nokes: The number of enforced returns from the UK by year and country of destination is published in table rt_05q (returns data tables, volume 5) in ‘Immigration Statistics, year ending March 2019’, available from the GOV.uk website at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/803187/returns5-mar-2019-tables.odsThe term 'deportations' refers to a legally-defined subset of returns which are enforced either following a criminal conviction or when it is judged that a person’s removal from the UK is conducive to the public good. Information on those deported is not separately available and therefore the published statistics refer to all enforced returns.Information for April to June 2019 will be published on 22 August 2019.

Immigration

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what events officials and Ministers in his Department have attended as part of the Government consultation of stakeholders on the future immigration system.

Caroline Nokes: Following the publication of the Government’s White Paper ‘The UK’s future skills-based immigration system’ (Cm9722) on 19 December 2018, Ministers and officials are undertaking an extensive year long engagement programme. We have already delivered over 100 events in every nation of the UK, reaching almost 1500 stakeholders. These events have included representatives from many sectors of the UK economy including business, hospitality, tourism, agriculture, health and social care. We have also established five advisory groups which meet regularly to consider in detail the policy, design and implementation of our proposals. The membership of these groups is available on gov.uk.

Post Office: Biometrics

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons there has been a three month extension from 31 March 2019 to the Post Office's contract to provide biometric services for his Department.

Caroline Nokes: The Authority extended the concession agreement with the Post Office Ltd for the provision of Front Office Services from 31st March 2019 to 31st July 2019. The Post Office Ltd concession was extended to ensure continuity of service and no disruption to customers during the transition to the new UK Visa and Citizenship Application Service Centres (UKVAS) contract which was signed on 12th April 2018.

Biometrics: Scotland

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will list the locations in Scotland where Sopra Steria will be providing biometric services for the Home Office.

Caroline Nokes: Sopra Steria Ltd’s network has been designed to offer a range of options for customers and have 58 locations currently open: six core service points, 51 enhanced service points and a premium lounge. Core service points, located in Croydon, Cardiff, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow and Belfast, offer appointments between 10:00 and 16:00. Enhanced service points, where more services are offered are located in Edinburgh and Aberdeen, in Scotland.

Visas: Applications

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Sopra Steria’s delivery of the UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS), what assessment he has made of the (a) availability of free appointments and length of waiting times for applicants, (b) affordability of paid appointments for applicants and (c) the affordability of the pay-per-minute UKVCAS helpline.

Caroline Nokes: As part of their bid and delivery programme, Sopra Steria Limited (SSL) undertook market research to identify initial service locations and this included the impact on customer travel time, cost and accessibility.There are currently six core sites across the UK at which application submission services are offered free of charge and beyond that, SSL offer a range of enhanced services in a further 52 locations. 62% of customers will, on average, have to travel less than 25 miles to visit a core service centre, with 78% travelling less than 50 miles.UKVCAS offers customers the option to arrange an appointment at any of its core service points, located in Croydon, Cardiff, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow and Belfast. The UKVCAS core service points offer appointments up to 35 days in advance. Free appointments are available Monday to Friday between 10:00 and 16:00, any appointments outside these times, and those at enhanced service points, are subject to a charge. The charges for these services were based on the extensive customer research SSL completed as part of their bid. SSL will continue to review prices in light of customer insight and demand.We are aware that customers are currently experiencing difficulties in securing free appointments and this is resulting in them having to wait longer for an appointment. New appointments are released by SSL on a daily basis and UKVI continue to work with SSL to increase the number of appointments available to its customers through opening new service points and increasing the number of appointments available at its existing service points experiencing high demand.In relation to your concern around the cost of the UKVCAS support line, this is an added value service which is optional to customers who wish to find out more information about the application service. Customers who do not wish to avail of this chargeable service, may also contact SSL via their website, where they can choose from two options “make an enquiry” or “make a complaint”. Once a customer has booked an appointment, they will also be provided with a local rate 0330 number on their booking confirmation.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Home Office has plans to provide EU citizens with physical documentation confirming their settled status after the UK leaves the EU.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office issues all EU citizens granted status under the EU Settlement Scheme with a written notice of their immigration status and their conditions of leave for staying in the UK, by email or letter, which is an official document that individuals can keep. However, due to the possibility of fraud and abuse, this document cannot be used to evidence an individual’s immigration status to work or access services. EU citizens will be able to continue using their passports and national identity cards to evidence their status in the UK until the new immigration system is introduced in 2021. EU citizens granted status under the scheme can view that status, as recorded digitally by the Home Office, and will be able to share it with others to access services they are entitled to, via an online status checking service. This digital status forms part of the move towards digital products in the UK immigration system. It is more secure and enables individuals to keep their information up to date, share it in real time, and only share the information that is required, which is not possible with a card.

Cabinet Office

European Parliament: Elections

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of EU citizens living in the UK unable to register and vote in the 2019 European elections.

Kevin Foster: Data on the registration and voting rates of EU citizens in the 2019 European elections is not collected centrally. In line with their statutory duty, the Electoral Commission will be publishing a report into the administration of the polls later this year.

Treasury

Shipping: Minimum Wage

Karl Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether HMRC National Minimum Wage Enforcement’s targeted enforcement work in Lowestoft on 17 June 2019 will cover shipping companies working in the offshore wind supply chain from Port of Lowestoft.

Jesse Norman: HMRC does not comment on operational activity. The Government is determined that everyone who is entitled to the National Minimum Wage (NMW) receives it. HMRC regularly undertakes targeted NMW enforcement based on the identification of the risk of non-compliance. This compliance work is informed using a combination of HMRC’s risk modelling, BEIS and Director of Labour Market Enforcement priorities and analysis, and third party intelligence, and will typically investigate a number of related risks. If anyone thinks they are not receiving at least the minimum wage, they can contact Acas, in confidence, on 0300 123 1100 or submit a query online using the link https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pay-and-work-rights-complaints .

Treasury: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many meetings he held with his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 March 2019 and 31 May 2019.

Elizabeth Truss: HM Treasury is committed to ensuring that we access the very best scientific expertise. The Director for the Enterprise and Growth Unit, who is responsible for public science funding, acts as HM Treasury’s Chief Scientific Adviser and meets with the Chancellor of the Exchequer regularly.

Tax Avoidance

David Warburton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) adequate support is available from HMRC for people affected by the 2019 Loan Charge and (b) that further interest will not be accrued on outstanding loans due to the delays experienced with the HMRC help desk.

Jesse Norman: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have put in place a series of measures to support those affected by the charge on Disguised Remuneration (DR) loans, which came into force on 5 April 2019.Since 2017, HMRC have had a dedicated helpline for those who have used DR schemes. People can use this helpline to discuss their scheme use and different options to reach a settlement with HMRC. Call handlers are trained to support all callers, including those needing additional support. The helpline’s current average speed of answer is less than 60 seconds.HMRC also recently announced an extension of their successful Needs Enhanced Support (NES) service to those undergoing compliance checks. This is being rolled out to DR scheme users first.HMRC have already confirmed that scheme users who came forward to settle under the November 2017 published settlement terms and provided the necessary information by the deadline of 5 April 2019 will not be disadvantaged if settlement cannot be reached until after that date. Simplified payment arrangements were available as part of those terms.Individuals who have not settled their DR scheme use with HMRC will need to report the outstanding loan amount on their 2018-19 tax return and pay the tax due, or agree an instalment arrangement, by 31 January 2020.Anybody concerned about paying what they owe is advised to get in touch with HMRC as soon as possible. HMRC have a number of ways to help those who are genuinely unable to make a full payment of tax on time. There is no set minimum or maximum period within which a tax debt can be repaid.In relation to interest, interest on late payments is designed to encourage people to pay their tax liabilities on time. It also serves to recompense the Exchequer for the delay in tax revenue paid later than the due date.For the majority of DR scheme users, there is currently no interest accruing on the loan charge, as the liability has yet to arise.

Women and Equalities

EnAble Fund for Elected Office

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the EnAble Fund for Elected Office; and if she will make a statement.

Victoria Atkins: The EnAble Fund for Elected Office is a £250,000 interim fund and is available until March 2020 or until the £250,000 budget is exhausted. The Fund supported around 40 candidates at this month’s local elections.We have commissioned an independent evaluation, which will be published after the Fund has ended next year.